Rising material prices, Mekong Delta farmers worried about entering summer-autumn crop

An Giang farmers harvest winter-spring rice - Photo: BUU DAU

Records in Tran Van Thoi district (Ca Mau province) show that the winter-spring rice crop has been harvested with an average yield of about 6.4 tons/ha. However, people are facing a situation where the prices of rice seeds and agricultural materials are increasing before the summer-autumn crop.

Mr. Nguyen Van Em, a resident of Khanh Binh Tay Bac commune, said that the winter-spring rice crop has been harvested and he is waiting for the end of April to plant the summer-autumn crop. "The price of rice seeds I plan to buy has now increased to 24,000 VND/kg, while last year it was only 22,000 VND/kg. I have not bought fertilizer yet, but I heard that the price has also increased by about 10% compared to the same period last year," Mr. Em said.

Similarly, Mr. Huynh Van Dau, residing in Khanh Binh commune, said that the price of materials such as fertilizer and rice seeds has increased by about 2,000 VND/kg compared to the end of the winter-spring crop. "During the main crop, demand is high so prices often increase. If someone buys on credit and only pays at the end of the season, the price can increase by 30%. If there are risks such as natural disasters or crop failures, it is considered that there is no profit," Mr. Dau shared.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Tran Van Thoi district, the whole district has planted more than 28,900 hectares in the 2024-2025 winter-spring crop. People earned an estimated profit of about 30-40 million VND/ha. However, in the last winter-spring crop, the price of rice was about 1,000 VND/kg lower than previous years, while the production cost for 1 hectare accounted for about 50% of the total harvest, equivalent to about 30 million VND, including costs: plowing, cutting, fertilizer, medicine, seeds...

"Farmers mainly make money by labor. If the price of materials increases but the price of rice does not increase accordingly, the risk of loss is very high," said Mr. Nguyen Viet Khai, deputy head of the district's Department of Agriculture and Environment. Some cooperatives have linked up with businesses to buy materials directly from the source, helping to reduce costs compared to buying locally. However, most farmers still buy in small quantities and pay late, increasing production costs.

In An Giang, the leaders of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment informed that over 217,800 hectares of winter-spring rice have been harvested so far, reaching 95.5% of the sown area. The average yield reached 7.51 tons/ha, an increase of 0.12 tons/ha over the same period. Prices of popular rice varieties such as IR50404, OM380 fluctuated at 5,800 - 6,000 VND/kg; OM5451 at 6,200 - 6,400 VND/kg; OM18 and Dai Thom 8 at 6,700 - 7,000 VND/kg. In general, rice prices tended to increase slightly compared to March.

The provincial agricultural sector is checking the quality of fertilizers and agricultural materials and implementing the project "1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice" to reduce input costs and protect the environment.

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BUU DAU - THANH HUYEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/gia-vat-tu-tang-nong-dan-dbscl-lo-lang-buoc-vao-vu-he-thu-2025042008041922.htm